The invention relates to an air guidance apparatus at the rear of a motor vehicle, especially a passenger car, which extends in vehicle transverse and longitudinal direction whereby at least one end portion of the air guidance device located rearwardly, when viewed in driving direction, extends in a manner forming a V-shaped or the like gap with an underlying vehicle body wall.
An air guidance apparatus of the above-mentioned type described in German Utility Model (DE-GM) No. 72 40 740 is fixedly attached to a vehicle body wall having a rearward end portion leading away from the vehicle body wall and reaches with one section beyond the same. The side of the rearward end portion facing the vehicle body wall extends in about a right angle to said wall.
It has been a disadvantage with vehicles including such a construction of an air guidance apparatus which resulted in either damage to the air guidance apparatus when passing through an automatic car wash of a certain kind, or that the washing brush of the car wash is caught by the profile of the vehicle body wall and the air guidance device. In the latter instance, the car wash will automatically come to a stop without ending the wash cycle. Such disturbances occur especially with car wash stations of the kind whereby the wash cycle provides for a forward phase and a return phase of the washing brush and the washing brush in both of these respective phases, rotates only in one direction.
It is an objective of the present invention to develop an air guidance device at the rear of a motor vehicle, that will allow the car to be washed at an automatic car wash without damaging the air guidance device or stop the operation of the car wash.
This objective is solved in accordance with the invention by providing force cushioning structure allowing movement of at least a portion of the air guidance device in response to forces such as experienced in a car wash. According to certain preferred embodiments, the support structure acts as the force cushioning structure allowing the air guidance device to pivot upward in response to forces experienced in a car wash or the like.
Advantages obtained with preferred embodiments of the present invention, such as providing a pivotable arrangement of the air guidance device are that, on the one hand damages to the air guidance device while passing through an automatic car wash are avoided, and, on the other hand, the car wash will not automatically disconnect during the wash cycle. This is due to the fact that the washing brush is pressed from below against the air guidance device pivoting the air guidance device upward into a position which then results in a forward movement of the washing brush. After the washing brush passes over the air guidance device, the air guidance device is automatically returned into its operational position by means of a return motion device.
A locking device provided at the air guidance supporting means serves to pivot or swivel the air guidance device only upon reaching a defined power effect in certain embodiments; while the air guidance device remains in its proper position during shocks produced by the uneven surface of roads.
Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, several embodiments in accordance with the present invention.